The Acrobat
by Museless Fool
Summary: Her world suddenly changed-and so did she. Atop the Hagia Sophia she thought of the past and how it led her to this moment.


_Disclaimers: Characters mentioned within are the property of Ubisoft and its affiliates._

_A/N: I began this more than a year ago and found it again when looking through some other stuff. I may or may not write more but for now I am considering it complete. _

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The Acrobat

She stared up at the twinkling stars in an ever-blue sky highlighted with a crescent moon. Even with a partial moon, the light provided seemed brilliant. The wind flapped through her white robes and flowed through her dark hair. Ionela Gilca from the past would have never imagined herself atop one of the minarets of the Hagia Sophia - a majestic church first built by the Byzantines before the Ottomans converted it into a mosque. It was not the first time she climbed the spire. It would not be the last.

Tonight she wanted the feeling of the wind in her face. She stepped onto the ledge which served as a viewpoint for the surrounding area. But really, she could see outlines of the entire Constantinople. Konstantinnye. Istanbul. Home. High domes, spires, and minarets shot up into the distance, a skyline of beauty that made Ionela's heart ache every time she faced it. Topkapi Palace with its many lights glowed to her right. Moonlight struck the Golden Horn ahead of her, that body of water that severed Galata district from the rest of Constantinople. White sails filled with wind propelled dark boats to and from the harbors. It reminded her of days long gone. A childhood spent with her father near the harbors and with her mother in the shop.

In the beginning she had lost all her possessions only to find everything else. Yes, she was a young woman with a shop and not much else. But it had been hers. And in the midst of losing it she found herself on the threshold of another world. A world comprised of shadows and stealth, of conspiracies and death. And she found it felt right. She fell into it like the final puzzle piece, and it welcoming her by making her feel whole. This was who she was meant to be.

It was all thanks to one man. Ezio Auditore. The Mentor from Firenze who had stepped in when she was backed into a corner by Byzantine Templars. She had not known at the time they were Templars. Had only known them as thugs who took what they wanted. They pillaged her shop and when she stood up to them they attacked with no conscience for the downtrodden. They leered at her with wicked gleams in their eyes. And if it weren't for her strange acrobatic skill of leaping from ledges, climbing onto rooftops she would not have escaped. They would have used her body and discarded her without a care.

The Mentor had stepped in in that final moment when she thought it was all over and opened her eyes to the world around her. Recruited her for a cause that stood for something beyond herself. Her existence was a mere speck of dust compared to the grand scheme of life. But it counted, she was told. Everyday men and women like herself strove for change. Strove to remove the ever-reaching hands of the Templars who believed mankind needed control and direction.

Nothing is true. Everything is permitted.

That was the creed of the brotherhood. The creed of the Assassin. She took another step onto the ledge and leapt, her form straight. An unbending arrow. The wind rushed against her face, made the glowingly translucent white of her robes flap. The earth rose up to meet her readily and she welcomed it with a smile on her coral lips.

She flipped in mid-air; a gracefully controlled thing in the midst of her dive. Her dark eyes stared up into the sky calmly, acknowledging and thanking each star for shining tonight. Her arms stretched outwards from her body-a falling crucifix and she landed on her back in a conveniently placed bed of straw. She sank into it immediately, becoming invisible to the trafficking few out on the street.

Nonchalantly stepping out of the hay she glanced to her left, noticing right away the figure breaking away from the shadows to approach her.

"Ionela." Her name almost a whisper from the newcomer' lips. The low and soft tone brought a gentle smile to Ionela's face. There was one other thing she could say she gained as well-love. And it stood before her in the form of the angel clad similarly in white robes. The woman's eyes were hidden under the shadows cast by her hood but Ionela could see the smile on ruby red lips.

"Let's go home," Ionela suggested and the woman nodded but not before the woman's lips curved into a wicked smile.

"I will race you there," the soft tones responded before taking off.

Ionela rushed after her and soon they became streaks of light in the dark night, fleet footed and sure as their race home led them across the rooftops of Constantinople before they disappeared into the shadows.

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_Reviews are always lovely! Thank you all for reading! :)_


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